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First, RTD should fix its fare structure

RTD passengers wait for light rail and bus service at 16th and Stout in Denver. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

The Regional Transportation District's fare structure is anything but simple — a stratified system of six different categories and a number of discounts for passengers on bus or light rail.

Understanding what ticket to buy and at what price can be a complicated chore.

RTD must figure out a more user-friendly fare structure before it starts talking about adjusting the prices — which is the goal after a lengthy fare study.

This is the right approach — to fix the bizarre structure before tinkering with prices.

In two years, things are about to get even more complicated as the transit system is slated to grow with extended light-rail lines, a train to the airport and rapid bus transit on U.S. 36.

Some RTD board members believe the agency should act quickly to change fares, thinking that waiting until 2016 for a major hike is too long. Fares have remained consistent since 2011.

Yet, any time fares go up, people will complain. Incremental changes are not the way to go and neither is instituting higher fares under such an antiquated system.

RTD has local, express, regional and SkyRide fares. Light-rail fares are based on zones. Even though the district's overall fares appear generally in line with its 17 peer agencies, it does have one of the more confusing structures.

Other transit systems offer cards with "stored values" that charge passengers for the distance they travel. Some offer flat rates.

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RTD has also been criticized for fare policies for low-income users. The local chapter of 9to5 — a group that advocates for working women — has argued that fares have excluded low-income residents from "high-quality" transit options like light rail, forcing them onto less expensive local bus routes that are less efficient.

While the group may have a point, the first order of business for RTD before tackling the fare price issue is to devise a more sensible, easy-to-understand fare structure.